Locke Lord Austin Partner Jennifer L. Rangel has been appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Health Services Authority (THSA) board, a four-year-old group formed to promote and coordinate the development of a Health Information Exchange network statewide. Rangel’s health care practice includes a focus on HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) issues, federal and state certifications, licensing and enforcement actions, areas which are all critical to the Authority’s role in creating privacy and security standards for electronic medical records in Texas.

The THSA is administering nearly $30 million in federal grants to put in place the infrastructure that ensures hospitals and physicians around Texas can exchange health care data across secure networks and provide the right information at the right time. The information flow is expected to improve medical care by reducing duplicate tests, preventing adverse drug interactions and providing timely research and new clinical guidelines to those responsible for making health care decisions.

Rangel has experience in health care reform matters as well as in regulatory, transactional and administrative health care law. She represents health care providers and managed care organizations on a wide range of issues, including Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement and fraud and abuse cases. She counsels clients on medical staff credentialing issues and handles enforcement actions before the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Texas Department of State Health Services. She has worked with pharmacies, medical equipment suppliers, hospitals, home health agencies, nursing facilities, physicians and other health care providers.

Rangel was among five board members appointed this month pending Texas Senate approval, with a formal two-year term taking effect in June.

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